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porter met a mother of women in urban areas (25 per
two who shared a similar cent), as per the report.
ordeal of everyday abuses
and humiliations in the How domestic violence is
hands of her ill-tempered perceived in society?
husband. The United Nations Declara-
As she shares, “For the tion on the Elimination of Vio-
world, I am a respected, lence Against Women defined
modern, independent, domestic violence as: Physi-
working women. Unfor- cal, sexual and psychological
tunately, I am still a victim violence occurring in the fam-
of domestic violence at ily, including battering, sexual
home,” she said. abuse of female children in
In her marriage of 33 the household, dowry-related
years, she has become de- violence, marital rape, female
pendent on anti-depres- genital mutilation and other
sants and seek spiritual traditional practices harmful
therapies for emotional to women, non-spousal vio-
healing. lence and violence related to
This was the third case exploitation.
of domestic violence in One of the pertinent issues
December, which the re- of the society that never reach-
porter had come across ei- es centre-stage of discussion is
ther through direct contact domestic violence. The issue of
or someone known. domestic violence is commonly
Every third women, treated as ‘one’s personal mat-
since the age of 15, has ter’ rather than abuse in the so-
faced domestic violence of ciety due to which women are
various forms in the coun- still subjected to discrimina-
try, says National Fam- tion, harassment and various
ily Health Survey (NHFS-4) abuses, be it at home or work-
report, which was re- place. Whether, it is family, rel-
leased by the union health atives or friends, we see them
ministry. rarely supporting or interfering in the
Thirty-three percent of ever-mar- Women who are employed matter of domestic violence. Domestic
ried women have experienced physical, are more likely to violence is not always in the form of
sexual, or emotional spousal violence. physical assault — hitting and slapping
The most common type of spousal vio- experience physical but about hitting and physical but can
lence is physical violence (30 per cent), violence than women who be emotional, psychological, verbal, and
followed by emotional violence (14 per sexual too.
cent). Seven percent of ever-married are not employed. For In the report, Violence Against
women have experienced spousal sex- example, 39 per cent of Women: A State Level Analysis in India
ual violence, as per NHFS-4 report. by Ministry of Women and Child De-
The report pointed out that women women employed for cash, velopment, various forms of domestic
who are employed are more likely compared with violence against women have been
to experience physical violence than studied using data for various cases
women who are not employed. For ex- 26 per cent of women who of crimes such as: Domestic Violence
ample, 39 per cent of women employed against Women, Dowry Death or har-
for cash, compared with 26 per cent of are not employed have assment for dowry, honour killing, cru-
women who are not employed have experienced physical elty by husband/relatives and rape by
experienced physical violence since family members, causing miscarriage
age 15 years. violence since age 15 years, without women’s consent, prohibition
However, cases of physical violence finds the National of Domestic violence Act. Dowry Pro-
is more common among women in hibition Act, 1961 Deaths caused with
rural areas (32 per cent) than among Family Health Survey intent to miscarriage.

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